Sample holder



A. STEI NTHA SAMPLE HOLDER June 14, 1938.

Filed Feb. 10, 1937 INVENTOR #0605705 5 N7 AL BY WM ATTORNEYS hn w pvvggu gr Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES PA'EENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in binders and has particular reference to a holder such as employed for holding cloth swatches or the like.

Heretofore, it has been customary to make binders of this character in which the samples or swatches are secured to a carrier block and, together therewith, are disposed between the cover sections of the binder. The assembly of the mentioned elements is such, in the ordinary construction of binders, that the carrier block may be visible beneath a cover section and the next adjacent sample attached to said block, thereby detracting from the appearance of the binder as a whole. With constructions of this type it has also been found that the bond between the cover sections of the binder and the carrier block may be more or less readily broken by an undue pull upon a cover section.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the above difficulties by providing a simple and practical means which will effectively conceal the sample carrier from view between the samples and adjacent cover section, and which will form a connection between said carrier and cover section that will greatly minimize the possibility of separation between said elements.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sample holder or binder constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective, partly in longitudinal section, and taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the end pieces employed to complete the binder by concealing the adjacent end of the carrier block to which the samples or swatches are secured.

In its preferred form, the invention is shown as comprising top and bottom cover sections generally indicated by the numerals 5 and 6 respectively, adjacent ends of these sections being connected by a back section 1. These various sections are made of the usual heavy cardboard or similar material forming the bases thereof, and the cover sections. 5 and 6 are similarly constructed with each comprising a fixed portion 8 and a movable portion 9 hingedly connected to the portion 8 so that it may be swung to open and closed positions to disclose and cover the stacked group of samples or swatches I0 retained between. the cover sections in a manner to presently appear. The sections 5, t and l have their 5 exterior surfaces covered by a continuous outer lining ii of suitable material such as leather, cloth, or compositions thereof, and at the adjacent edges of the portions 8 and 9 of the cover sections, as indicated at E2, the lining bridges the space between said edges and thereby constitutes the hinge connection for the movable portions 9 of said cover sections.

In the operation of assembling the various parts of the binder the samples H! are first con- 15 nected to a carrier member l3 usually in the form of av rectangular block of wood of a length slightly less than the total width of the cover sections. The customary manner of attaching the samples to the block it is shown in the presl, ent disclosure and involves the engagement of one end of the stack of samples Ill with a longitudinal side of the block it, and the passage of one or more flexible elements I4 through an opening formed in said with the ends 013' said element M extended in overlapping relation to adjacent sides of the block I3 and secured thereto by suitable fasteners l5. In known constructions of binders, when the samples have been attached to the block, the latter is inserted between the cover sections 5 and 6 and usually disposed a slight distance from the back section I so that the forward edge of the block will be arranged adjacent the front edge of the portions 8 of the cover sections. In this position the secured ends of the samples will also be disposed between said portions 8 and the fastening elements t will be concealed. The block I3 is secured in this position by the application of a suitable adhesive to the surfaces: of the block which abut the inner surfaces of the portions 8 after which the latter are secured in fixed relation to the back I and to the movable portions ii of the cover sections. With suchconstruction, the forward edges of the portions 8 which overlap the adjacent ends of the samples are next adjacent to the top and bottom samples of the stack. It has been found with such known constructions that when a cover section is swung to open position it is possible, in certain posi- 5o tions of the binder, to see the block I3 between either of the cover sections and the next adjacent sample when the latter are lying in their normal state between the cover sections. The fact that said block is visible under such conditions de- 55 tracts from the general appearance of the binder. Also, the fact that an adhesive is the only means of joining the cover sections to the block makes the connection relatively weak and often results in a cover section breaking away from the block when the binder is being handled.

To overcome these objections it is proposed to provide a novel means for effectively connecting the cover sections to the carrier block l3 and concealing the latter from view between said cover sections when either of them is swung to an open position. In order to accomplish this end, use is made of a flexible connecting and concealing strip l6 associated with each of the cover sections and mounted in position in the following manner. During the attachment of the stack of samples I0 to the block 13, as previously described, said stack is first laid upon a lower, strip IS in substantially the position shown in Figure 2 and the upper strip I6 is then placed flatly upon the top sample of the stack. A stiffening strip I! of a fiber composition or the like is then placed in position along the edge of each strip l6 which is adjacent to the end of the stack It! to be secured to the block l3 and said strips l6, [-7 are united by suitable adhesive. The element 44 is then extended through the samples and also through said strips, after which the ends of said element are secured to the block l3 in the manner previously described. The assembled block and samples are now placed in position between the portions 8 of the cover sections and secured thereto by an adhesive, with the forward edges of-the strips l7 substantially in alignment with the folding portions l2 of the cover sections so as to define folding lines for the strips I6 when themovable portion 9 of either cover section is swung back to open position. Before finally securing the block l3 between the portions 8 the ends of said block have secured thereto the concealing end pieces generally indicated by the numeral l8 and illustrated in detail in Figure 4. These pieces are U-shaped in cross section to provide flaps l9 which extend inwardly between the upper .and lower surfaces of the block l3 and the portions 8 and may be secured thereto by an adhesive. The pieces I8 are of such length as to extend to the back section I and as far forwardly as the front edges of the stiffening strips I! so that the ends of the binder at this point will be neatly finished and the block and associated elements concealed when the binder is completed. The block I3 is now secured by an adhesive to the inner surfaces of the portions 8 and, in turn, the part of each concealing .strip l6 extending from the associated stiffening strip I1 is laid fiatly against the innersuri'ace of the adjacent portion 9 of a cover section and also secured thereto by a suitable adhesive, thus permanently connecting the concealing strip with the cover section. Finally, a finishing sheet 20 is laid over the portion 9 of each of the cover sections and in overlapping.relationto the part of the concealing strip which is secured to said portion. It will thus be observed that when a cover section is swung to an open position, such as shown in Figure 2, the strip I6 will bridge the space between the stiffening strip l1 and the adjacent edge of the portion 9 of the cover section and thus cover and conceal the joint between the portions 8 and 9 so that it will be impossible to see the block 13 beneath-the portion 8, and that said strip, by forming a connection between the block l3 and cover sections, will relieve the strain upon the'adhesive joint between said elements.

What is claimed is:

In a sample holder, cover sections, at-least one section having fixed and movable portions, said portions being hingedly connected by a flexible member which, when said movable portion is displaced, forms a fold lying between said portions, a sample carrier interposed betweensaid sections and secured to a fixed portion,

means to fasten samples to said carrier, said samples lying between said sections, a stiffening strip connected tosaid securing means .and disposed between saidsamples and one of said sections, said strip projecting beyond said fixed portion and terminating substantially in line with said fold, and a concealing stripfor said carrier secured to said stiffening strip and to said movable portion and extending beneath the former.

AUGUSTUS STEIVNTI-IAL. 

